St. Rupert
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Rupert who was a monk and a bishop. St. Rupert was a person who played an important role in building the church in Austria and Bavaria. St. Rupert was known as the Apostle of Bavaria and Austria. St. Rupert was said to have been a very kind and outgoing founder of churches and a very good evangelist. St. Rupert founded many churches and monasteries during his lifetime.
St. Rupert is predicted to have been born around the year 660, in France, which was known as the territory of Gaul back then. St. Rupert is believed to have been part of Merovignian royal line. However, St. Rupert did not let that affect the life of prayer, plainness, humility, fasting and charity that he lived.
St. Rupert’s strong dedication and devotion to God is what helped lead him to his consecration as the Bishop of Worms, which is known as Germany now. St. Rupert was known to be a very kind, smart and loving person, however he was met with persecution and rejection from a huge Pagan group when he was in Worms. The Pagan population abused him physically and banished him from the city he was in.
After the great pain St. Rupert had to endure, he decided to go on a pilgrimage to Rome. After 2 years passed, all his prayers had been answered because Duke Theodo of Bavaria sent him a message. Duke Theodo knew about St. Rupert’s reputation of being a kind, charitable holy man, because during that time St. Rupert’s reputation was well known.
When St. Rupert was alive, Bavaria was not a Pagan or Catholic country. Many missionaries would go to Bavaria and try to teach the region the Catholic faith and the many graces the faith contained but many missionaries were not successful. During that time the belief that was big in Bavaria contained a mixture of Pagan beliefs and practices with some Christian beliefs but the Christian beliefs were false because of how much misunderstanding was present in the teachings.
Duke Theodo of Bavaria was seeking someone’s help to restore and reform the church and the faith that was present in Bavaria at that time. Therefore due to St. Rupert’s reputation he asked St. Rupert to help. St. Rupert agreed instantly after the messengers that Duke Theodo had sent, told him the message. St. Rupert who was once mistreated and banished from Worms (Germany) was now received with open arms, happiness and much honor in the Bavarian city named Regensburg.
During St. Rupert’s mission, he had the help from some priests that he brought with him on. Together they were able to undergo a very long and hard mission in Bavaria and some parts of Austria. The journey that they underwent ended up with many people converting to the Catholic faith, and many miracles occurring such as the healing of many diseases. Which shows that the Holy Spirit was truly with them on their long and hard mission.
When St. Rupert was in Salzburg, St. Rupert and his other partners built a nice church which they decided to place under the patronage of St. Peter. They also built together a monastery that was under the rule of St. Benedict. St. Rupert’s niece eventually became the abbess of a Benedictine convent.
St. Rupert loved Christ so much that he served him in any way that he could. St. Rupert served as the bishop of Salzburg and the abbot of the Benedictine monastery that he had founded in that area.
St. Rupert who lived a life of full service and devotion to God, shows us Catholics the importance of following God’s will and finding the courage we need to accomplish it regardless of how difficult or challenging it may be. St. Rupert passed away on March 27, which was Easter Sunday during the year 718. St. Rupert passed away after preaching and celebrating mass. After St. Rupert’s death some of the churches and monasteries began to be named after St. Rupert. St. Rupert’s feast day is celebrated on March 27.
Prayer to St. Rupert:
St. Rupert help us to have the strength and wisdom we need to be able to guide others to Christ. Help us to teach people the importance of the sacraments not only through our words but most importantly through our actions. Help us to live a life of full devotion to God, so that we may follow his will, and complete his will for the rest of our life and eternity. St. Rupert help us to be filled with the zeal we need to fall into a deeper love with Mary each and every day so that we may obey her will and the will of her son. St. Rupert please help the poor and vulnerable in our community and help us to reach out to them and help them.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord and Mary Our Mother in Heaven.
Amen
St. Rupert pray for us
St. Joseph pray for us
May we continue to strengthen our journey to sainthood and keep others in our prayers.
Works cited:
Information (read from, not taken):
Catholic News Agency. “St. Rupert.” St. Rupert (catholicnewsagency.com). Accessed 27 March 2021.
Images:
Saint. Rupert. March 27, 2021.
Saint. Rupert. March 27, 2021.
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